Revitalizing The Great South Bay And The South Shore

It’s our bay, our heritage — and our legacy. We grew up clamming it, sailing it, swimming in it. Now our bay is sick, and we must heal it, now, today, and for the future!

We are a local 501(c)3 Non-Profit that advocates for and implements real solutions that will help restore the bay, and with that strengthen our South Shore communities.

Islip Creek Defender Day
April 5 @ 9:00 am - 10:00 am
Postponed due to COVID-19. New date to be posted asap. The Great South Bay will only be as healthy a...
at Orowoc Creek

Discover How You Can Help Save The Bay

Start In Your Own Backyard!

Go native! The suburban lawn is heavily reliant on fertilizers, pesticides, and huge amounts of water. It’s polluting, expensive, lifeless and tired. Choose a Bay Friendly Yard instead. Native plantings belong here. They are cheaper to maintain. They are beautiful — Nature untouched. And they filter and clean the groundwater before it hits a creek or the bay.

It all starts with you! Just register your email address below to receive our free Bay-Friendly Yard E-Book! You’ll get the basic info you need to help the bay right at home!

Inside the eBook:

Step-by-step instructions for assessing your yard
Lists of native species that would thrive in that yard
Tips on how these plantings should be arranged

Native Plants are beautiful, easier to care for, and healthier for our bay!

Defending the South Shore’s Creeks Heals the Bay

Become a Creek Defender

By our count, there are 50 creeks flowing through 16 South Shore communities into The Great South Bay. The Creek Defender Program has a Defender in nearly every community — Massapequa, Copiague, Amityville, Lindenhurst, Babylon, Bay Shore, West Islip, Islip, East Islip, Great River/Oakdale, Sayville, Bayport, Bluepoint, Patchogue, Bellport and Brookhaven.

Each Defender coordinates with local schools, civic associations, and local businesses, organizing local cleanups and native plantings or “Swamp Forests” along the creeks. Plans for Creek Defender Day 2020 are in the works.

Remember: the bay is a symptom; it’s the mainland that’s sick. A lot of the pollution flowing into the bay is from our creeks — runoff from roads and lawns, pesticides and fertilizers, trash, and of course nitrogen from antiquated cesspools and septic tanks. By restoring native habitats, rebuilding green corridors, we can improve water quality in the creeks and therefore the bay. Click on the link below, tell us where you are from, and we will connect you with your Creek Defender!

JOIN THE CREEK DEFENDERS

The Race Is On To Save The Bay

Come To Our Events

SGSB keeps a very active event calendar. Summer 2019 includes our Cheers to the Bay! event hosted by Southside Bar & Restaurant on July 12th, The Great South Bay Paddleboard Race on August 25th, The Oyster Fest at Blue Island on September 14th, and the Mayor’s Cup Regatta & Clambake on September 21st! We will also be partnering with Tres Palms for their October Oyster Festival. Great local bands, local oysters, and our locally made bay themed apparel, inspired by local artists. Our cause brings people from all The South Shore together. If you’re a local business owner, please consider becoming a sponsor to boost your brand while helping to revitalize The South Shore.

COME TO OUR EVENTS

We’re always up to something!

Clean ups
Native plantings
Shellfish restoration
Informational events
Great South Bay celebrations

Become a Member

Saving The Bay will take all of us. By becoming a member, you will be helping us mobilize The South Shore so we can heal our bay for future generations. There are four membership levels starting at just $25 per year and we will be adding membership benefits for each as we grow. And of course, with your membership you will get some of our cool, locally designed apparel and merchandise too.

BECOME A MEMBER

Advocacy

Here on our blog / newsroom, we give voice to those willing to speak truth to power, to those ready to speak for the bay. Muckrakers. If you have a topic you’d like to write on – like the spraying of methoprene on our marshes, The Bethpage Plume, the spraying of glyphosate on Fire Island, illegal dumping, bad coastal management policy, overdevelopment, etc, – please send your story pitch to [email protected]. Subscribe to our newsletter from our home page (in the site footer) and to our YouTube channel. It is up to us to speak for our bay.

Podcast Episodes

STGSB Podcast Episode 7: What is Prosocial?

February 8, 2020

On this episode of Water Matters, documentary filmmaker Alan Honick & Dr. Kristin Perret discuss how prosocial interventions can help communities come to a consensus… Read more

STGSB Podcast Episode 6: Sewer Czar

January 17, 2020

Suffolk County and New York State recognize the pressing need to address significant nitrogen levels in our local waterways and groundwater caused in part by… Read more

STGSB Podcast Episode 5: Methoprene & Emerging Contaminants

December 17, 2019

Emerging contaminants, such as 1,4-dioxane, were a hot topic in 2019 and sure to continue to be well into the future. Learn more about them… Read more